


you’re just another boy caught in the rye

by peachypunk



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Billy Hargrove Tries to Be a Better Person, Brat Steve Harrington, Eventual Smut, M/M, Parental Jim "Chief" Hopper, Power Dynamics, Ranch Hand Billy, Rich Steve Harrington
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:54:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29407233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachypunk/pseuds/peachypunk
Summary: Billy is just trying to keep his nose clean- works hard on the Harrington's ranch and gets enough play at the only gay bar within miles of the middle of nowhere. He's his own man, free of his father, and working towards a respectable reputation.When the owner's son, Steve, takes a shine to him while he visits over the holidays, there's only so much temptation that Billy can resist.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Comments: 5
Kudos: 22





	you’re just another boy caught in the rye

**Author's Note:**

> ooops I started another au after a three month hiatus instead of working on my existing things
> 
> title is from Turn to Hate by Orville Peck bc gay cowboy themes duh 
> 
> this is a super self-indugent semisweet slowburn type mess- hope you like it!

Billy grunts into his fist as he comes, knuckles pressed against his mouth and his pants around his thighs as the man kneeling in front of him spits into the toilet and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. 

Billy didn’t come to The Flame with intention of hooking up, believe it or not, but when the pretty redhead twink bought him a couple drinks, he figured paying him back with a rough handjob in the bar’s grimy bathroom was the least he could do. The blowjob was a nice surprise.

The redhead rises from where he was kneeling and Billy turns his head just in time for his kiss to land on his cheek. Billy laughs. 

“I’m not into that,” He says, voice low and amused, and the redhead just rolls his eyes and steps back, taking a second to rearrange his clothes into something more presentable. 

“Whatever. Hit me up on Grindr if you’re ever bored,” He says and bangs the bathroom door open, walking away before Billy even has his pants zipped back up. Billy sighs and does up his jeans, tucking his flannel into the waistband and redoing the belt as he steps out of the bathroom stall, pausing only when he feels eyes on him. 

Billy looks up and meets big, brown eyes in the mirror. He finishes buckling his belt, letting his eyes trail over his body as the other man looks away. Pretty boy with messy brown hair and some kind of tight designer jeans that wouldn’t last a minute on the ranch but make his ass look nice. 

Billy licks his lips and reaches for his cigarettes, placing one between his lips as he checks his hair in the mirror. He watches the pretty boy wash his hands out of the corner of his eye. He probably shouldn’t be looking so close after he just got off courtesy of some other guy but Billy has a  _ type _ . Sue him. 

He lights up as pretty boy is drying his hands, watches as the man looks over his shoulder with a pinched frown

“I thought we weren’t allowed to smoke in here?” He says, turning towards Billy as he trashes the paper towel. Billy blinks, frowning a bit, because that voice is familiar. He swears he’s heard it before, racks his brain to remember some hook-up or old schoolmate, but he comes up empty. 

He exhales smoke, long and luxurious, to cloud right in the pretty boy’s face. Laughs a little when it makes his nose scrunch up.

“Right, princess,” He drawls sarcastically and yanks open the bathroom door, walking out before the pretty boy can protest.

He makes his way through the bar and out the doors quickly, no sign of the redhead even as the bartender shouts at him to put his cigarette out. He blows smoke into the crisp winter air. It’s dark. The sun sets earlier now that the seasons have changed and Billy shrugs into his sherpa lined jacket as he walks towards his car. He should head home. He still has to be up at the asscrack of dawn even though the harvest season is over.

His mind is stuck on the pretty boy in the restroom. Brown eyes and pouty lips and little moles dotted over pale skin. Definitely not a bar regular with the way he was dressed. Doesn’t think he’d forget a hook-up that pretty either. Billy just  _ knows _ he’s seen him somewhere before. He exhales smoke through his nose and flicks the cigarette butt out of the car’s window.

Whatever. It’s not like he’ll see him around any time soon.

* * *

A loud banging on his front door rouses Billy from sleep and he squints at his old alarm clock. 5:38 AM. He grunts and pushes himself up and out of bed, stumbling sleepily through his little living room to pull open the front door to his cabin and squint at whoever the hell is at his place so early in the morning. It was  _ winter _ . He should be able to sleep in for a few months.

“You just wake up, sleeping beauty?” The farm foreman, Hopper, asks and just laughs at him as Billy scrubs a hand through his hair to try and fix his bedhead.

“Whaddya want, Hop?” Billy scowls.

“One of the Ewe’s started giving birth in the paddock. Wheeler is gonna need help delivering it until the vet can get out here.” Hopper says and Billy groans.

“Already? It’s barely December,” He complains and Hopper just shrugs. Billy is already itching for a cigarette just thinking about dealing with Mike Wheeler this early in the morning.

“What was the point in keeping the kid on if he can’t do anything?” Billy grumbles as he reaches for his coat.

“Mike’s a good kid. Teach him the ropes a little and you can have him doing all the grunt work,” Hopper says as Billy grumbles, fishing out a cigarette and lighter. “Stop by the main house around lunch,” Hopper continues, “Mr. Harrington’s kid is doing some project and will be around the farm for a bit. It’ll be good for you to meet him.”

Billy just grunts. Hopper shakes his head and steps off the porch, walking back over to his beat-up old truck. 

“Hey, Hargrove?” He calls and Billy exhales smoke harshly, frowning. 

“What else, Hop!?” He asks and Hopper gets a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. The same one he gets before he tells his daughter, El, a total dad joke.

“Put on some pants.”

Billy can hear the old man laughing as he slams the front door.

* * *

The Harringrove estate had the three S’s; soybeans, sweet corn, and sheep. 

They made a pretty penny off of it too, judging by the looks of the huge, fancy house and expensive cars parked in the driveway. The Harrington’s were barely even there, too busy traveling and making new deals to expand the business, to manage the farm that was their livelihood.

It fell to Hopper, Billy, and a team of farmhands to keep Great- Grandfather Harrington’s farm running smoothly. Three out of four seasons, they were fully staffed, but come winter it dropped to a small handful to keep up the farm maintenance and help with lambing. A year ago, what Hopper called  _ hard work _ , Billy called  _ luck _ and he became one of the one’s that got to stay on year-round. The promotion came with a tiny cabin, all to himself, on the edge of the property and wage raise nice enough for him to start saving a little.

Billy tries to remember how lucky he is to have this job when Mike Wheeler comes and tells him the tractor has broken down. Again.

“How the fuck did you manage that?” Billy asks, circling the machinery as he shoots a glare in Mike’s direction.

“It wasn’t my fault! The thing just stalled out and-”

“Save it,” Billy says, putting a hand up, “Just- get out of here. Go get lunch or something. If I have to hear your voice one more second, I’m gonna beat your face in.” He says and Mike opens his mouth but Billy’s glare shuts him up.

“Whatever, asshole,” Mike grumbles as he walks away, hands shoved in his pockets.

Billy closes his eyes and takes a deep breath in. He lets it out slowly as he rolls his shoulders. He’s been...better. Not starting fights and keeping to himself most of the time. Not letting his temper take control like it did when he was younger. Usually, the long hours working hard on the farm wore him out, made him too tired for anger to surface. Mike fucking Wheeler is putting that to the test. Billy takes another breath and blinks his eyes open to look around the shed for the toolbox and the space heater. 

He’s only been under the tractor for a half-hour before another voice comes calling for him. 

“Hargrove?” Hopper’s voice seems to echo in the shed and Billy grunts, tightening a bolt before he throws the wrench aside.

“What?” He throws out, shaking the undercarriage with a gloved hand.

“You forget we had a lunch date?” Hopper teases, voice closer now and Billy grimaces, squeezing his eyes shut. Not a great impression to miss shit the first winter he’s here.

“Something came up,” He says and wheels himself out from under the tractor, “Ask Wheeler what-” Billy cuts himself off when his eyes land on not one, but two familiar faces. Next to Hopper is the pretty boy from the bar last night. The one with the plush lips and messy hair and pretty eyes. Eyes that widen when they meet Billy’s. Shit.

“Mike break the tractor again?” Hopper cuts in and Billy breaks eye contact, clearing his throat as he throws his tools back in the toolbox. It would be his luck that the boss’  _ kid  _ is the guy he was checking out at the only gay bar within 50 miles. He knew he recognized him from somewhere.

“Yep,” He grunts. “Should be running now though.”

“That fucking kid…” Hopper grumbles as Billy gets to his feet. “Anyway, Billy Hargrove meet Steve Harrington.” He introduces and the pretty boy, Steve, blinks and then smirks knowingly at him. “Steve is the owner’s kid. He’s working on some project about…”

“Management,” Steve fills in for him, looking Billy up and down as Billy tugs off his gloves and wipes his hands on his jeans.

“Right,  _ management _ ,” Hopper says, “He’ll be hanging around the farm with me, learning how it runs. Might send him up with you when lambing really starts.” He says and Billy just nods. Steve sticks out his hand.

“It’s nice to meet you,” He says and then tilts his head, “I swear, we’ve met before haven’t we?” He asks, shit-eating grin on his face. Billy spits on the ground to the side of them. 

“No, I don’t think we have,” He says evenly, grasping the pretty boy’s hand in a crushing grip. Steve smiles dims a bit, eyes narrowing in curiosity.

“Well, that’s the two of you met,” Hopper says, “Hargrove, make sure you check the fence near your place. Heard there’s been coyotes spotted around.” He says and Billy nods again, all too aware of Steve’s eyes still on him. “And, Billy, make sure you grab some lunch before you go back out there. Don’t need you passing out in the snow.” Hopper finishes, strolling towards the shed doors. 

“You got it, Hop,” Billy says and chances a glance at Steve. The guy really is too pretty for his own good, cheeks and nose red from the cold, all wrapped up in a sleek winter coat and what’s sure to be expensive earmuffs and a scarf. He gives Billy another knowing look, leaving Billy feeling exposed and bare, before he casually follows Hopper out.

Billy lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and leans against the tractor heavily.

Well fuck.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! please let me know if you liked! 
> 
> btw I researched so much like ranch/farm work schedule stuff for this and its probably still super inaccurate lol
> 
> you can also find me on tumblr @peachypunk22


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